A Dozen Years Later, This Somerville Turkish Spot Still Satisfies
You’ve probably heard of Sarma; if you’re local, it’s probably the favorite restaurant of at least a few people you know. The Somerville spot has been on many Eater 38 maps; chef Cassie Piuma has received multiple James Beard award nominations.
Sarma is known for consistently excellent vegetable plates, along with its own take on bar snacks, such as lentil nachos, eggplant fries, and chicken wings with pistachio labne, served in a finer-dining setting that’s still accessible.
What to order
- Start with a dip, like the surprisingly bright honeynut hummus ($24) with harissa and ginger, and studded with sweet figs.
- Never skip the harissa barbecue duck ($37), prepared like kebabs, served over a decadent swoop of carrot brown butter — the richness of the harissa with the fattiness of the meat makes this irresistible — but we’ve enjoyed everything on the shish part of the menu.
- The sweet potato wedges ($20) could jumpstart a love affair with root vegetables for anyone, often tossed with fruit like watermelon or apples, a hearty portion that’s topped with a slightly sharp, nutty tahini.
The vibe
The sweeping 20-seat bar is almost always packed. It’s an open secret that the best way to get a seat is to show up right at 5 p.m. The dining room of the restaurant, visible from the bar, seats about another 30 (you can reserve a table). The walls are brick or painted turquoise and adorned with colorful plates from Istanbul, and the mood is rousing and chatty.
Insider tip
Sarma makes its frozen yogurt in-house, and if you’re nostalgic for soft serve fro-yo, this is the place to scratch that itch when it’s on the menu. We got the rich chocolate with miso salted caramel sauce.
